Chapter 175: The Calydonian Boar Hunt (17)
Under the silence of the three great powers,
Althaea was engraved into the heavens as Virgo.
Of course, in the meantime, a few tried to take action. But such attempts were swiftly crushed.
“Gahk! Why is Perseis here?!!”
“Eh?! Artemis, my sister—why are you blocking me?”
Perseis and Artemis stepped in for reasons unknown to most, and those who dared move were utterly, miserably crushed.
“Unexpected. You stepping in like this. Isn’t this exposing your own shame, in a way?”
“I simply must reward Meleager and those who justly overcame my trial. Though many parts slipped from my grasp, the ending surpassed even my expectations—so I must show courtesy to those who exceeded them. But why did you intervene, Lady Perseis?”
“Well… I didn’t particularly want to get involved, but since our boss caused all this, I had no choice.”
Artemis nodded at Perseis’s reply.
Since Poseidon had personally intervened, there was no helping it. And for her, it wasn’t a bad outcome.
Though a little late, if she had been able, she might have placed Meleager and Althaea among the stars herself.
(‘Of course, I never imagined Poseidon would take such interest in my trial and force a constellation into that seat. Perhaps that insolent mage is even more deeply connected to Poseidon than I thought…’)
Artemis shook her head as she looked at her blood relatives—who were far inferior to a mere human mage.
Ares and Apollo fleeing with their tails between their legs was utterly pathetic.
And though she didn’t understand why she was acting this way, she felt a strange sense of injustice. But what could be done?
Apollo was here—he’d figure it out one way or another.
More importantly…
She gazed at the faint glow of Virgo in the distant, exalted place once called the greatest seat among the stars, and recalled the divine statue she had bestowed upon Meleager.
(‘Callisto was right—I may have given Calydon far too much as compensation for the trial. A sacrifice rite meant for the ancient Protogenoi…’)
***
Though Artemis’s blessing remained, the kingdom of Calydon was no longer what it once was.
The former abundance was gone, and the chaos of losing their hero-king in an instant was overwhelming to recover from.
At least Meleager had organized most matters and passed the throne to Nicodemus, preventing total disorder.
Without that, the kingdom might have fallen to enemy invasion long ago.
In such circumstances, all they could do was offer sacrifices to Lady Artemis once more and pray for prosperity.
No matter that this entire disaster stemmed from some god’s wrath—the only deity Calydon could rely on was one.
“Nicodemus, newly crowned king of Calydon, and his subjects offer this sacrifice. Please look with favor upon Calydon once more.”
““Look with favor upon us.””
But despite their fervent prayers, Artemis granted only her blessing and offered no further reply.
—Why does the goddess not answer?
—Did Meleager not overcome the trial?
—Is she still angry…?
—Nonsense. If so, why grant the blessing at all? Thanks to Lady Artemis’s blessing, no outsiders can cross our borders right now.
—That’s true…
—Then what’s the reason?
Many speculated wildly, but in the end the sacrifices brought little effect.
Thus, Nicodemus and his subjects had no choice but to exert every effort—using only Calydon’s own strength and technology—to normalize the kingdom.
Fortunately, while abundance had vanished, the kingdom’s underlying potential had not.
And as though he had foreseen everything, Meleager had left behind detailed records.
“Haa… Just how far ahead did Lord Meleager see?”
“Truly. He anticipated that Lady Artemis’s intervention would be minimized and recorded everything accordingly. He even detailed exact locations of resources like iron ore and trade partners.”
“Hoho, and not only that—he planned the future direction of the entire nation. All we need to do is apply what he left behind. Most importantly, everything here was prepared under the assumption that no divine blessings would be involved.”
Slowly but steadily, Calydon rebuilt its systems—using Artemis’s blessing as a shield.
In later years, thanks to Meleager’s national blueprint, Calydon reformed its very foundation and grew into one of the pillars of the Aetolian League—rivaling even Athens and Mycenae.
***
A few days later, the people of Calydon finally understood why Meleager had crafted a plan that excluded divine blessings and curses as much as possible.
In an absurd twist, Calydon had become perhaps the only nation in all of Greece effectively free from divine influence.
—Gahk! Why is the curse bouncing back?!
—I feel my power draining away completely. In Calydon, I feel like I’m disguised as a human!
—Hm… Strangely, taking human or other racial forms actually works more smoothly here.
Exactly.
What Meleager had achieved at the very end—at the cost of his life—as compensation for overcoming Artemis’s trial…
Was none other than an ancient rite from a time before Artemis was even born—back when the Protogenoi and the once-mighty Titans walked the world.
A final secret art performed only by those willing to sacrifice themselves completely in the face of any adversity or trial.
[The Blessing of Thorns].
Even in ancient times, this rite had been performed only a handful of times. Now, in the present era, it had been carried out by a single human hero and king—with divine assistance.
In the hope that no one in Calydon would ever suffer the same tragedy again, Meleager willingly offered this self-sacrificial rite.
It was offered to the closest entity to the Protogenoi—the Mother of Life—and from afar, even to Chaos, the Creator.
Of course, whether Meleager himself fully understood what he was doing remains unknown.
No one knows why Artemis aided him—but Meleager willingly took the clay figure long abandoned in Calydon’s storehouse and performed the sacrifice.
And that offering clearly reached the Mother of Life among the Protogenoi.
“Gaia, the Fates are throwing a fit because the world got twisted. They can’t go to you, so they’re taking it out on me.”
—Hoho, Poseidon. Didn’t I tell you not to use such vulgar language as a king? More importantly, while that form is nice too, it’s been a while since I last saw your true appearance as the sea god.
“Tch, stop changing the subject. Nyx also contacted me. Whether she couldn’t stand her daughters’ nagging or she’s genuinely interested, I don’t know.”
—Oh my… Poseidon, but why does your face look so pleased?
Gaia knew her husband well. He was actually delighted by what Meleager had done and seemed ready to add even more strength to it.
From long ago, he had never particularly liked gods exerting their divine influence over the surface world.
Just look at how he himself wandered around with all his power tightly sealed.
—Other gods should take you as an example. To grumble over the result of a sacrifice that reaches even the Protogenoi and ultimately Chaos itself.
“That’s only because that rite has practically fallen into obscurity. How many gods even know about it? Including me, probably fewer than ten.”
—I’m not just talking about that. My husband walks the surface world wearing all kinds of shackles and still manages so well. Yet these insignificant beings are whining just because they can’t fully use their power in Calydon.
Gaia spoke while looking at the intricate chains and restraints wrapped around Poseidon in his human form.
—Haa… From a human perspective, it’s no different from walking around with heavy sandbags tied to your arms and legs all the time.
“Well, I’ve gotten used to it, so it’s not particularly inconvenient. More importantly—what’s going to happen to Calydon?”
Gaia shook her head at Poseidon, who subtly changed the subject, but she didn’t press further.
He had never openly displayed divine power while wandering like this, and considering how few times he had fought while bearing all kinds of side effects—like during the Typhon incident—she understood.
Above all, no matter how much she said, he wouldn’t listen.
—Yes… there’s no point in saying more. Hm, as for Calydon—it will simply come under very strong restrictions. Unless it’s someone on the level of you, that nasty Zeus, or gloomy Hades, no one will be able to pierce through my power and use their authority on Calydonian soil. This is a law I, Gaia the Protogenos, have engraved into the world.
“Right. Now I see why the Fates were contacting me. Haa… but if it’s a law, shouldn’t Themis come looking for me too?”
—Who knows? More importantly, it’s been a while since we last met. Don’t we have something to do?
“Huh?! Uh… well… I don’t really know…?”
—Hoho, it’s fine. You don’t need to know. Just stare at the ceiling and count numbers.
“Eek! Gaia, that’s not how family should treat each other!!”
***
Looking somewhat drained, Poseidon sat in the familiar teahouse he often visited in Calydon, his appearance gaunt and exhausted.
Though he hadn’t fully recovered from the shock, the gradually reviving vitality of Calydon’s city still brought him a sense of satisfaction.
“With that face, you look awfully pleased—aren’t people staring at you from all sides, Poseidon?”
Before he could answer, someone sat down across from him and asked casually.
The person who appeared before Poseidon blended so naturally into the surroundings that it felt as though she had always been there.
For example, not a single person in the teahouse showed surprise at the woman who had suddenly appeared out of thin air.
It was as if she had been a regular customer all along.
“Tch. According to Gaia, divine authority can’t be used here, right? Even Artemis seemed cautious.”
“Oh my! Do you really think of me as just some ordinary god? And I’m not so weakened that I’d lose to newborns.”
Poseidon frowned and clicked his tongue at the woman’s calm response.
The woman before him was one of the people he least wanted to meet.
Even his carefully concealed true identity could be seen through by her as easily as looking at the palm of her hand.
“So why are you here? You know I’m not exactly happy to see you, right?”
“My, my. I didn’t expect you to react so sensitively. You know I’m not the type to go around spreading rumors.”
“Themis, stop playing coy. The fewer people who know a secret, the better. And you’re the kind of person who would sell my information if the price was right.”
Poseidon didn’t like the goddess before him. The one who governed laws, rules, and fairness—she was the most just and impartial goddess in the world.
But that didn’t always mean it was a good thing.
She judged the world with the scale she received from Gaia. The problem was that—with her divine name and that scale—if a fair price was offered, she would grant almost anything. She was like a genie from a lamp in Poseidon’s old memories.
Even if it was something the gods absolutely despised.
“The most representative example is probably resurrecting humans in exchange for Prometheus’s request and the price he prepared.”
Themis calmly brought the tea that had appeared in front of her to her lips and spoke in a composed tone, unfazed by Poseidon’s sharp words.
“That incident involved you too, didn’t it? Among the things Prometheus prepared, there were some that couldn’t have been obtained without your help. Besides, I can’t even calculate how great a price would be needed to buy information from you. So rather than worrying, wouldn’t it be wiser to ask why I’ve come?”
Poseidon frowned at Themis’s response and gulped down the milk tea in front of him.
Aside from her authority as the child of Gaia and Uranus, Poseidon disliked Themis because he knew her true nature.
This woman—half-mad from being bound by fairness and law—was profoundly unsettling.
Even Zeus, after fathering children with her once, never touched her again.
“I know my siblings find me creepy, but seeing you react so openly hurts my feelings—even just a little. And it’s even worse when my stepfather—who married my mother—acts this way.”
“Eek! Don’t say such creepy things!”
Poseidon rubbed his arms as though he had goosebumps at Themis’s “stepfather” remark.
“Hoho, that reaction is amusing. You always are.”
Themis looked at Poseidon’s exaggerated response with delight. He was the only one who disliked her yet still kept dealing with her until the end.
Above all, even while complaining, Poseidon treated Themis with great consideration at Gaia’s request.
Just look at the palace and temple she had in the sea.
“But unfortunately, we’ll have to get straight to the point this time. I’d love to play with you longer since it’s been a while, but I have things to do.”
“Sigh… so why did you appear before me?”
Themis didn’t answer Poseidon’s annoyed question right away. She took a moment to organize her words in her mind.
“Yes. I’ll skip the flowery language and ask directly. Have you ever heard this name? Alcaeus.”